A free child safety awareness course will be held this Saturday, April 12 in Boyle Heights, where local parents will be able to get free identification cards for their children up to 13 years old for use in case of an emergency.

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) under its Ramona Gardens Community Safety Partnership (CSP), and the Ramona Gardens Resident Advisory Council (RAC) have partnered with New York Life Insurance Company to provide the one-hour course where attendants will be able to learn about ways to keep their family safe.

Officer Mischell Harvey-Dixon from the Hollenbeck Police Station explained that during the kidnapping last March of four Ramona Gardens children, their grandmother and legal parent did not have the updated information needed to find and identify them.

The four children””two boys ages 7 and 5, and twin 1-year-old girls””were found safely a few days later at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“The grandmother provided a photograph of the twins when they were about six months old,” said Harvey-Dixon. “She was unable to provide us with the proper height and weight of the children and made it difficult for us to broadcast it to the media in case somebody saw the children.”

“We want to make sure that all parents have the information for their children,” she added.

The cards will be provided for free and each will show the child’s photograph, fingerprints, contact information and other pertinent data needed by the police in case of an emergency situation.

The one-hour course begins at 11:30am at Ramona Gardens RAC trailer on Lancaster Avenue. It is open to everyone that wishes to attend and will be taught by instructor Jennifer Hernandez.

Refreshments and snacks will be provided during the event. There will also be activities for the kids while parents are in class.

For more information, contact CSP Officer Mishell Harvey-Dixon at 213-864-5447